A former fire lieutenant in Washington state says he lost his career because he would not set aside his religious convictions, and he is now asking a federal appeals court to give his case another hearing.

Scott Carlson served with the Redmond Fire Department, where he says firefighting was more than a job. After 18 months of responding to calls through the COVID-19 pandemic, he sought a religious exemption in 2021 from the city's vaccine requirement for firefighters.

According to Charisma News, which reported on the case from Fox News Digital's account, the religious exemptions were first granted and then later taken away after Mayor Angela Birney signed an executive order. Carlson sued the city in December 2022, saying it failed to accommodate his religious beliefs and retaliated against him for asking for an exemption. Seven other former Redmond firefighters later joined the lawsuit.

A federal district court ruled against the firefighters in December 2025. They are now appealing that decision to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, asking the court to reverse the ruling and let their religious discrimination claims move forward.

Their attorney, Cliff Martin, argues the city could have placed the firefighters in other positions that did not require vaccination. He alleges the city kept those openings from the firefighters and then filled them with vaccinated employees, leaving the men with nowhere to transfer. Those allegations have not been established as fact, and the district court sided with the city.

The city of Redmond declined to discuss the case in detail. A spokesperson said the city will continue to address the matter through the appropriate legal channels.

For Carlson, the loss went beyond a paycheck. He described firefighting as the way he served and loved his community, and said losing it was deeply painful. "This is how I serve. This is how I love on the community," he told Fox News Digital. "So, that was a very hard emotion to say that I'm no longer going to be able to do this."

He also spoke plainly about where his stand came from. "I love Jesus so much that I was like, 'Hey, I'm going to follow you no matter what. I'm on team Jesus. But dang it, this is hard.'"

The case now turns on a question that reaches far beyond one fire department: when a government employer sets a condition of employment that conflicts with a worker's faith, how far must it go to find room for conscience?